MU men’s hoops update; MU field hockey bows in final

Reached Saturday in Scranton, Pa. where his team has been practicing at the Riverfront Sports Complex since last Thursday, Monmouth University men’s basketball coach King Rice was reluctant to talk hoops.
“This is crazy that I’m talking about basketball and people have lost their homes and people have died,” Rice said.
“One of my assistants still doesn’t have power and we just got power back Thursday evening.”
Rice said there was no damage to his home aside from the loss of power and that his family, wife Summer and sons Alexander and Julian James, are fine,” Rice aid. Our prayers are out to everybody in the Northeast and New Jersey. “We’re hoping everybody is slowly getting back to normal.”
The former North Carolina point guard who grew up in Binghamton, N.Y. and has coached on staffs at Oregon and Vanderbilt, as well as coaching the Bahamian National Team, said he had never experienced anything like last week’s hurricane.
“Not like – wow – not being able to have heat, not having lights, the food going bad, and not being able to get more food,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter what Monmouth basketball is doing right now, really.”
What Monmouth basketball has been doing is holding two practices a day since it left campus last week with the MAC and Boylan Gym being used as evacuation centers.
Rice said Monmouth also talked to Fordham , the people at the Rebounds facility in Neptune – but they had no power – and with Lemoyne University of Syracuse, N.Y. as possible practice locations. Lemoyne was scheduled to visit Monmouth in last Thursday’s cancelled pre-season game and offered to hold the game there.
“No chance I was going to ask these young men (at Monmouth) to be off four days and then scrimmage someone,” Rice said.
Rice said John Bucci, Director of Backourt Hoops at Riverfront Sports, was instrumental in helping the Hawks. “Just a good, good guy, runs this gym, have known him a long time,” Rice said. “We were fortunate in that he said we could come up here.”
Rice praised Monmouth President Paul Gaffney II and athletic director Marilyn McNeil for their support.
“(They allowed us to) get a hotel, bus, go out to eat every day while we’re here,” Rice said. “A lot of people came through for us and we’re thankful we’re healthy and they’re allowing us to be able to start practicing to get ready for our season.”
Rice said the Hawks plan to remain in Scranton through at least Monday.
Gaffney said Saturday Monmouth will be able to open its season on schedule Friday at the MAC vs. Hofstra.
“The bottom line is we’ve got a game next week and we’ve got to be ready,” Rice said. “Under tough circumstances they’ve pulled together and bonded.”
NOTES…Rice said sophomore forward Mykel Harris has left the team and plans to transfer at the semester break. The 6-foot-7 Harris appeared in 20 games last season off the bench averaging 1.3 ppg. Rice said sophomore forward Andrew “‘Red” Nicholas lost weight after suffering a bout of strep throat but that Nicholas and freshman guard Christian White (foot/toe problem) have returned to practice.

In field hockey

Rider (15-5) rallied with two late second half goals by Sandra Penas to trip Monmouth, 3-2, and defeat the Hawks for a third year in row in the NEC championship game. Monmouth (8-13) overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to take a 2-1 lead on goals by Amanda Schoenfeld and Alex Carroll (Shore Regional).